Happy Anniversary to our Fetch Pet Care Dispatcher, Gina!

Ever wonder who is on the other end of the phone when you call Fetch Pet Care?  Well, if you’ve called the Hollywood Hills or Silverlake Fetch office anytime in the last 6 years, there is a good chance you’ve spoken with Gina.

Today marks Gina’s 6 year anniversary as a Fetch Pet Care dispatcher.  Gina has a very important role within Fetch- she is the first voice many people hear, explaining the services we offer and working with clients to figure out what will fit their needs best.  And once she is off the phone, she is tasked with the even more critical job of matching clients with the sitter(s) who will be the best for their needs.  It may sound easy, but it’s not.  She has to keep in mind location of the client and sitter, availability of the sitter, their experience level with different types of pets, as well as personalities of the sitter, client and pets, and whether it seems like everyone will “jive.” That last part can often be the toughest part.  

Gina started off as a Fetch client in 2006, shortly after we first opened our doors.  She needed some help administering injections to a very sick bunny who needed regular antibiotics to keep him healthy.  During this time, we developed a great friendship with Gina and her family, and he entourage of pets….we even helped her add a pet. Her dog Mojo had been feeling quite lonely after the loss of his sister, and it just so happened that one of our Fetch petsitters was assisting a rescue group in finding a home for a big black dog named Oso (photo below).  People always passed over Oso, most likely due to his size, but we had a feeling he’d be the perfect fit for Gina’s home.  And almost 7 years later, he’s still happy as a clam, loving his yard, especially when the BBQ comes out.  

Gina has been instrumental in the success of Fetch and we hope we have many more years to go with her on the front lines.

If you speak with her today, be sure to wish her a Happy Anniversary!

Sitter spotlight: “Curt Hepp”

Curt has been working with Fetch for almost 5 years now.  He joined us during a busy holiday season in 2008 and has aways been one of our most popular sitters. He walks big dogs and small, happy dogs and nervous dogs,  visits shy kitties and loves on the cuddly ones.  Curt’s clients always rate him 10/10 on our surveys.  Below are some of the wonderful things they have had to say about him:

Stacey D
Our sitter, Curt is amazing! We’ve used him a bunch of times and he’s wonderful. His attention to detail is outstanding and his commitment to taking great care of our cats is a huge part of why we continue to use Fetch. We feel so comfortable with him and trust him completely to look after our furry babies when we’re away.

Scott L.
Curt is great! Very reliable!

Katherine S.
I like that Fetch does their best to keep you with the same sitter over time. Even when we moved. Our sitter is great!

Peter G.
Curt is the best walker ever!!!

Monty M
Curt was a great Sitter for our kitty Belly.

Jessica L
Reliable, sweet, and so flexible!

Sarah S
The daily logs are great to look over, I love the way Curt would text us after every visit & give us an update, definitely the best pet-sitting service I’ve ever used.

Sarah B
Gina, from Fetch, was able to arrange for a pet sitter on a moment’s notice when my husband and I decided to go away for the weekend on an impromptu trip. She answered me promptly and set me up with a wonderful and reliable pet sitter. My husband and I were able to relax and enjoy our weekend and came back to a very happy kitty. We will definitely be using their services again when we go out of town for the holidays.

Saturday mornings are for socializing!

Want to know the best way to socialize your dog?  Hint: It’s NOT the dog park.  Leashed pack hikes and walks allow dogs to adjust to being around other dogs in a safe environment. Twice monthly, volunteers, adopters and foster parents from Angel City Pit Bulls set out on a pack hike at Griffith Park.  The goal is to get our dogs out and around other dogs in a safe and fun way.  The dogs are always super excited at the start, when there is a lot of standing around and waiting for everyone to arrive, but once we get moving, everyone goes into “hike” mode and it’s a lot of fun.  Once they get a little tired, introductions get a lot less stressful and many of the dogs make new friends along the way!

So if you have a dog that desperately needs some social activity, find some friends, or a local hiking group that allows dogs, and get out there! Bring water, treats, and a 6 foot sturdy leash (retractables are NOT recommended on hikes, and in Los Angeles most mountain areas legally require a 6 foot or shorter leash).

Latest Yelp Review in Santa Monica!

I’ve had three experiences with Fetch, and they’ve all been awesome.

Yelp Review from Tasha K. in Santa Monica on 7/5/2013 (and we attached a photo of Laura and Puppy Beans!)

I was looking for a pet sitter who could come to my home, since my puppy hadn’t been vaccinated yet, and we were going to have to leave her by herself for over six hours. After attempting to contact upwards of five pet sitting companies, only three actually called me back (seriously?). The first two were VERY SNOOTY, saying they “didn’t do that,” to my request for an at-home sitter. Even though it explicitly said on their website that they did!
Fetch was the last to call, and even though it was a totally last minute request, they were able to send me a sitter AND do an at-home, free orientation as a get-to-know-you session for my puppy. They sent along Laura, after she called and arranged an appointment with me, and I hate to gush, but she is PERFECT! Such a sweet lady, and you could totally tell she’s an animal lover, too! I mean, it’s probably easy to love my puppy because she’s so cute, but I could tell that even if I had a snarly Rottie, Laura would have tried to make friends even with him 🙂
The two days that Laura sat for us, she sent us updates via text message and pictures of her and Beans having a great day together. I was so absolutely relieved to know that she was there!
The third time I emailed them for pet sitting, it was again, completely last minute, AND on a holiday. Not only did they email me back within a couple hours, they arranged another pet sitter after it turned out that Laura had another sitting job that day. Valerie turned out to be awesome, too! She called me to confirm, and also sent texts and tons of photos! Another great lady!
Regina was super accommodating in her emails, even though I’m sure it was pesky trying to arrange a sitter on the 4th of July. THANK YOU SO MUCH, REGINA! It’s really great to know that I have a sitting service that I can rely on. I was so nervous about finding one when I got my first puppy- I’m so glad I found Fetch!